Mega Buzz: An Office Death, a Good Wife Rekindling and a Mother of a Twist

Can’t wait for The Office to return! Please give me some scoop on the final season. —JoanNATALIE: An original cast member whose name is not Mindy Kaling might be leaving Dunder Mifflin. But the real question is whether that has anything to do with the death that occurs within the first few minutes of the premiere. (Hey, where’s Andy?)

Where do things stand between Alicia and Peter when The Good Wife returns? — Katherine
ADAM: Not where you might expect. While Alicia hasn’t moved in, she has definitely made herself at home at Peter’s new old house, even going so far as to tell a nosy reporter that she sleeps over occasionally. As the couple continues mending fences, Alicia snags a big-time contributor for Peter and also agrees to appear with him at certain campaign events. If it all sounds too good to be true, never fear: A new scandal will rock their relationship in Episode 3.

Please tell me we’ll get more clues about the mother this season on How I Met Your Mother. I can’t even remember the last time we saw the yellow umbrella. — TylerADAM: Good things come to those who wait! You will see definitely see the yellow umbrella again this year and the twist at the end of the season premiere will answer a big question about how Ted met the missus. “We wanted to send the message that this could be the last season of How I Met Your Mother,” co-creator Craig Thomas says. “And this is how we would start the last season.”

Glee!!!! —Sammy
NATALIE: This week’s Britney Spears tribute by far surpasses the first one, mostly because Brittany will channel Britney in ways you wouldn’t think the show could get away with. (think shaved-head, paparazzi-stalked Brit-Brit). Because Brittany is on a downward spiral of her own and in need of a pick-me-up, New Directions enlists her to put together this year’s pep rally performance.

Can you please tell us who Addison chooses on Private Practice? — Bethany
NATALIE: Seriously, do you want Shonda Rhimes to kill me? Let’s just say that the man who Addison doesn’t choose won’t have any problems getting back in the game — and he does so in short order!

I’m worried about how Jeanne Tripplehorn’s character will fit in on Criminal Minds. — Rita
ADAM: Alex will fit in just fine. She’s actually been waiting a long time for a chance to work with Hotch & Co. As we previously reported, Strauss let her take the blame for a botched case back in the day, which left her forced to sit on the BAU bench until now. Look for Strauss to try to bury the hatchet in the season premiere, but will Alex forgive and forget?

Who will Elena lean on during her transition on The Vampire Diaries? — Jennie
NATALIE: The better question might be, “What does she rely on?” Remember in Season 1 when both Elena and Stefan wrote in their journals? Expect a significant callback. If these pages could talk, we’d love to know what it would say when she writes, “Dear Diary, I am now a vampire.”

What’s the good word on Castle? — Wendy
ADAM: You’ve heard the show is planning a Comic-Con-inspired episode, right? Well, the show is also taking inspiration from star Nathan Fillion’s Firefly past. The episode features a past-his-prime sci-fi actor who, despite once playing the beloved “Capt. Max Richards,” is now a promiscuous alcoholic who comes under suspicion when a fan is murdered at a convention. Whoever lands the role has big tightpants to fill. (Note to self: Add Galaxy Quest to my Watchlist.)

Tell me that Nick and Jess will get together this season on New Girl! — HarrietNATALIE: Um, no. While they share a sweet moment in the premiere, David Walton will soon join the cast as Jess’ new friend with benefits. One problem: Jess is not a no-strings-attached kind of gal. “Strings are attached,” Zooey Deschanel tells us. The silver lining? Deschanel says that Nick will be “Jess’ emotional fluffer” throughout the fling.

Any new girlfriends for Jack on the horizon on 30 Rock now that he’s divorced? — Gina
ADAM: Tons! (What, is he a farmer?) Though Elizabeth Banks’ Avery may return, the newly divorced single dad will play the field this year. “He comes to the conclusion that he can’t possibly be satisfied by one woman, so there’s an episode where he’s doing what he’s calling ‘Great Escape-ing,’ if you remember the movie Great Escape,” co-executive producer Robert Carlock tells us. “He’s got different girlfriends for different needs. You might imagine what all those needs are in your own spare time.”

Seriously, how did Debra never figure out her brother was a serial killer on Dexter? — DickNATALIE: That fact won’t be lost on Deb. In fact, it won’t be long before you hear her say the words: “I am the worst f—ing detective in the world.” Once she understands the scope of her brother’s wrath, their confrontation will include violence and a chase that ends in a puddle of something.

Got any fresh Community intel? — Justin
ADAM: Looks like Jeff may not be foremost in Dean Pelton’s heart anymore. I hear the show is casting a dim-witted rich kid who the Dean feverishly pursues in hopes of landing his, er, endowment. Because he’s never had to work for anything, he’s used to being pampered and having people kiss up to him. We don’t even want to think about what creepy ways the Dean might go about doing just that.

Are Tom and Ann together when Parks and Recreation returns? — Susan
NATALIE: Tom and Ann did decide to move in together, but that idea was actually worse than the creation of Entertainment 720. “At the beginning of the season, it’s them immediately realizing they made a horrible mistake and getting out of it,” Aziz Ansari says. Still, people, the party line is that they’re still together, and don’t forget that!

I could really use some CSI: NY spoilers. — Ethan
ADAM: And I would really like to give you some: We’re going to meet Lindsay’s father! Described as a rugged outdoorsman, we’ll first meet him when Lindsay travels to her hometown to witness the execution of the man who murdered her three best friends when they were teenagers. Although Papa Monroe is a gruff man of few words, he’s trying his best to be there for his daughter as she relives her painful memories.

Natalie’s Mega Rave: Bravo, Glee!The show successfully split the show’s setting between Lima and New York and introduced new characters we actually care about, particularly Melissa Benoist’s Marley, who proved her worth with her rendition of “New York State of Mind” that rivaled Rachel’s simultaneous version. Move over, Berry!

Adam’s Mini Rant: Bobby Cannavale on Boardwalk Empire seems like a great idea on paper. Too bad so far he’s just playing a beefier version of this guy.

Crave scoop on your favorite TV shows? E-mail Adam and Natalie at mega_scoop@tvguide.com or drop us a line at Twitter.com/TVGuide